


If aught but death

by bel_e_muir



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dimension Travel, F/M, Gen, M/M, Parabatai, Parabatai Bond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:29:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28697721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bel_e_muir/pseuds/bel_e_muir
Summary: Alec Lightwood thought that he was doing the right thing marrying Lydia Branwell. Jace disagreed, and it appears that so did the Angels.Thrown into a similar yet vastly different world were no one has ever heard of the Accords or Shadowhunters, how will they cope in this new reality? And how Alec could be a Shadowhunter still, if he was bitten by a werewolf?The only thing that was keeping them sane was the fact that even thrust into different bodies, they still were like brothers to each other. They still were Parabatai.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Allison Argent & Scott McCall, Chris Argent & Scott McCall, Isaac Lahey/Alec Lightwood, Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski, Victoria Argent & Scott McCall
Comments: 43
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's the idea that I had while talking with my reader Zarko who commented on my other Teen Wolf fanfiction, "Nothing to fear".  
> This is just a teaser, for now, so don't expect another chapter within the next month or two, as I need to wrap up that other story first. Still, I thought that I could give you a glimpse of what I'm planning to write next.  
> It will be a mid-length story focused on the Teen Wolf world, but with Alec and Jace as the main characters as they are essentialy thrown into Scott's and Stiles' bodies.  
> Please bear in mind that I'm not a native English speaker, so feel free to let me know if you spot any mistakes. Enjoy!

Howls echoed through the woods and Scott shivered. He shouldn't have ever gone along with Stiles mad schemes. Looking for a murdered girl's body might sound thrilling and adventurous on paper, but in reality it was quite a depressing affair. Also, he was cold, he had lost his inhaler, and he had this weird feeling that someone was watching him. Which was ridiculous, he was in some desolate part of the woods in the middle of the night, so why would anyone be here at all?

Unless it was that girl's murderer. If that was the case, he was in deep trouble.

The howls sounded closer, and he shivered. They were too close for comfort, he really should-

Suddenly, a great weight crushed into him, making him fall onto the ground with a force that left him breathless. Next thing he knew, his right side was on fire as he was bitten just above his hip. He cried out in pain, and then... he felt as if he was pulled in two different directions.

He was Scott McCall, asthmatic boy who liked riding on a bike and playing lacrosse, though he was far from being good at it. He liked animals and was happy that he got a part-time job in the animal clinic. He was normal, and perfectly alright with his place in life.

And yet, at the same time, he was someone else. He was _more_ than that, he was Shadowhunter from birth, a Nephilim with angelic blood flowing through his veins. He was Alexander Lightwood, heir of the Lightwood family, and the acting head of the New York Institute. He was also the soon-to-be husband of beautiful Lydia Branwell, and he was very much _not_ alright with his place in life.

The last thing he remembered was being bitten in the woods.

The last thing he remembered was drawing the Wedded Union rune on Lydia's hand, and feeling the utterly wrongness of the act, as if the Angels themselves were against their marriage.

And then there was a 

_fusion_

and the two halves merged. He was Scott. He was Alec. He was both.

***

Stiles went with his dad and the rest of the policemen, pretending that he didn't just leave his best friend alone in the woods. Scott was going to be furious, he just knew that. But the temptation of investigating the mysterious murder was too much for him to resist and so he had dragged his reluctant friend into the forest, searching for a dead body in the middle of the night.

It was supposed to be his quest, his adventure, but thanks to his dad it was a complete failure, instead. It would be just his luck if Scott managed to find that body on his own, after all. 

He heard a howl in the distance but he didn't think much of it, until he felt a dull, phantom pain in his side, and he gasped loudly falling to his knees. Then, there was this weird feeling of being pulled, of being _torn_.

He was Stiles Stilinski, the nerdy guy who liked everything related to fantasy and sci-fi, and liked to solve mysteries in his free time. He had his beloved jeep, and was madly in love with Lydia Martin, the most beautiful girl in the school, even though the girl never looked at him with anything more but scorn.

He was Jace Wayland, a Shadowhunter and the adoptive son of the Lightwoods. He fought with a sword as if he was born with it, he battled demons on a daily basis and kept the Downworlders in line, and to his brother's dismay, he was a notorious womanizer.

The last thing he remembered was falling to his knees and looking into his dad's worried face.

The last thing he remembered was attending his brother's wedding and feeling regretful that Alec had came up with the whole arranged marriage idea.

And then there was a 

_fusion_

and the two halves merged. He was Stiles. He was Jace. He was both.


	2. Chapter 2

As Alec regained consciousness, he became uncomfortably aware of the hard ground underneath him and cold seeping through his clothes. Wait, why was he lying on the ground in bloody January? He opened his eyes and groaned as he slowly propped himself up on his forearms, feeling an intense pain in his right side.

How in the world had he managed to land in the middle of the forest when the last thing he remembered was getting married to Lydia? And then from the deep of his consciousness came the realization that he was just sixteen, he was too young to marry, and coming to the forest was Stiles' idea…

What was happening to him? Why suddenly he had two sets of memories, as if his mind was stitched from ill fitting pieces like a mental equivalent of Frankenstein's monster? 

Finally, his training kicked in and he stood up, watching around carefully. No matter his own internal turmoil, whoever or whatever attacked him might still be around, so lying uselessly on the ground was definitely a bad idea. Still on guard, he started to walk in the direction of a road that he - Scott - vaguely recalled from his trip with Stiles.

By the Angels, this was all so confusing… 

Thankfully, he remembered the way correctly and soon he was walking down the road, his clothes completely soaked as it started to rain heavily, causing his already bad mood to turn into a truly awful one. Once he got his hands on Stiles, he was going to-

He didn't get to finish his imaginary threats as a car almost drove into him, and he jumped to the side to avoid being hit. However, he lost his footing in the process and fell onto the asphalt road, bruising his knees and hands painfully. He bit down a curse as he stood up slowly, looking at his bloodied skin. He only hoped that there weren't any vampires around, as blood would surely draw them in.

Not one to be deterred from his goal - he was a Shadowhunter for crying out loud, he wasn't going to cry over scraped knees! - he continued to walk down the road, when he saw the car driving from the opposite direction. Wait, was this the same car that had almost hit him? It stopped, then a girl got out of it and ran in his direction, a woman following her more sedately.

"We're so sorry, are you alright?" the girl asked in panic.

"I'm a bit bruised but nothing life threatening," he assured her. "I'll be fine."

"Let us give you a lift, at the very least," the woman offered, and he agreed easily. Walking in the icy rain wasn't his favourite pastime, after all, so once he was inside the car, he exhaled in relief.

"What do you think you were doing, walking in the middle of the woods after dark?" the woman asked harshly and Alec almost smiled as he recalled his mother, Maryse, being exactly the same when stressed, all sharp edges and zero tolerance for tomfoolery. 

"I stupidly got myself roped by my best friend into a mad idea of an adventure, and then we got separated," he explained vaguely. "Not something I plan to repeat anytime soon."

"I dare say you don't," the woman commented wryly, and this time he couldn't help it, he smiled at her. 

"What's your name?" the girl asked. "Mine's Allison, and my mom's Victoria."

"Alec… I mean Scott," he said, then seeing her confused expression, he added: "Only a handful of people call me Alec, so Scott is the more obvious choice."

Here, in Beacon Hills, no one knew Alexander Lightwood, so better to stick with the name the locals knew. The last thing he needed was for people to notice that he acted differently, and asking to be called with a different name was bound to raise some inquisitive eyebrows.

"Pity," the girl commented idly. "Alec suits you better."

He decided that he liked her already. 

***

In the end he agreed to be taken to the Argents' house so that they could look over his injuries. Allison's father looked surprised at seeing him, but when his wife explained what had happened, he immediately ushered Alec into the guest bedroom, then asked Allison to give them some privacy.

"Come on, take off your clothes, you're completely soaked," the man said. "I'll go grab a first aid kit and be back with you in a moment."

Alec wasn't used to being fussed over by complete strangers, but both his sets of memories told him not to argue with medics/nurses, so he obligingly took off his jacket, revealing the bloodied clothes underneath.

"You said that you weren’t hurt," Victoria frowned.

"Not by your car, no. I was attacked earlier in the woods," he admitted and pulled his clothes up, revealing his bloodied and bruised torso. He inspected the wound curiously - were these jaw marks? - when he heard a sharp intake of breath, and he looked up only to see Victoria's suddenly white face. Was she getting nervous at the sight of blood? 

"I think I got bit by some animal, but it was dark so I'm not sure what it was," he explained.

Before she could react, Chris returned with the first aid kit in hand, which he promptly dropped at the sight of Alec's wound. 

"What is it? Do you recognize the mark and know what animal bit me?" Alec asked as he felt apprehension sinking in. An awful suspicion began to take root in his mind. What if it wasn't just an animal, what if it was something worse? Even being a Nephilim didn't make him impervious to werewolf's bite...

Victoria was the first one to react. "Scott, you might want to sit down for this," she advised.

"It wasn't just an animal, was it?" he asked, suddenly feeling tired and resigned to whatever awful fate life had in store for him. "Please, just tell me, I can take it."

Chris picked up the first aid kit from the floor and walked up to him, looking at him keenly as if searching for something. He seemed to have found it as he explained evenly: "It will probably sound incredulous, but… you were bitten by a werewolf."

Alec closed his eyes for a moment. If the bite takes and he becomes a werewolf… Well, there went all of his dreams of becoming a true Head of the New York Institute, and then later a Consul in Idris. The Clave won't allow a Downworlder to assume any kind of a position of power within their ranks. And being a Nephilim, he won't be welcomed with open arms by the werewolf community either…

And he still didn't know why he was in California sharing body and mind with a teenager, rather than seeing to his duties - and marriage - in New York.

He was so screwed it wasn't even funny.

"Fuck," he muttered faintly and rubbed his face with his palm. Victoria looked displeased with the language but didn’t scold him. “Alright, I think sitting down might be a good idea after all…” with those words he slumped onto the bed bonelessly.

Chris seemed undecided, before he approached him and started inspecting the wound. “Let’s clean this up and put a bandage on,” he suggested and Alex nodded, taking off his hoodie and T-shirt completely to give him better access. In doing that, he realized that even though he’d lost almost all his runes, he spotted the Parabatai rune on his left side and he exhaled in relief. Thank the Angels, he still had his link to Jace, the one thing that (beside his family) mattered to him the most.

“You’re taking this surprisingly well,” Chris murmured as he started to disinfect the wound, causing Alec to hiss a bit at the stinging.

“To be honest, I’m still processing everything,” Alec admitted. “So, werewolves? What happens now? And how do you know that they actually exist?”

The Argents were an enigma. On the surface, they looked and behaved like regular mundanes, and yet their knowledge of the Shadow World suggested otherwise. So the question was: who were these people?

“If this is truly a werewolf’s bite and not just a regular animal’s, you'll probably get turned into a werewolf too, but in some rare cases the bite doesn't take and you'll heal, or ... “ Chris trailed off.

Alex definitely didn’t like the sound of it. “Or...?” he prompted.

“You die,” Victoria finished when her husband seemed to be unwilling to, and she pressed her lips into a thin line. 

What? That didn’t sound even remotely close to what he knew about werewolves. As far as he knew, only around 50% bites were successful and resulted in the bitten person being Turned. However, as per his knowledge other victims normally healed from the bite. 

“Are you sure about this?” he asked doubtfully.

Victoria huffed. “We’re werewolf hunters. Of course we know what we’re talking about.”

They’re hunters? But where are their angelic runes? And why are they referring to themselves as _werewolf_ hunters specifically, as opposed to the Shadowhunters? What about vampires, seelies, warlocks? Hell, what about the demons?

“So, do you hunt only werewolves? What about vampires, for example?” he asked curiously as Chris put a bandage on his wound.

“There’s no such thing as a vampire,” VIctoria said with a roll of her eyes. “Though you might want to be wary around wendigos, they’re man-eaters.”

Alec was confused. No vampires? And what were those wendigo creatures? It didn’t sound even remotely close to what he had been taught his entire life. Could it… Could it be that he had somehow landed not only in another part of the country, but also… an entirely different realm? He blanched at the sudden thought.

“Victoria, stop scaring the boy,” Chris chided his wife gently. “He’s turned white as a sheet.” 

The woman just shrugged. “I don’t see any point in sugarcoating the truth. He either turns, heals or dies, that’s all there is to it.”

Alec looked at them curiously. “Wait, if you’re werewolf hunters, why are you even helping me? Should I start running for my life?”

Chris sighed and explained: “We only hunt rogue werewolves, those who can’t control themselves and pose a danger to the society so no, you don’t have to be afraid of us.”

Victoria nodded, obviously agreeing with her husband, then added: “But be aware, if you ever attack an innocent, we’re going to hunt you down.”

“Fair enough,” Alec said, then asked: “But what if I kill another werewolf? Whichever bastard did this to me, they won't be getting away with this."

Normally he didn’t enjoy killing, he would do it if he had to but he didn’t take any pleasure in taking a life. However, just because he had been bitten didn’t mean that he suddenly stopped being a Shadowhunter at heart. If there was a rabid werewolf running around and biting innocent people, it was his duty to take him down.

And he couldn’t help but think that this one kill would actually give him more satisfaction than all his other kills combined...

Chris let out a surprised laugh. "You're a little bit on the vengeful side, aren't you?"

Alec looked him straight in the eye. "I had plans for my life, and being bitten by some beast...” and somehow getting thrust into a different world, he didn’t add, “is going to seriously undermine them. Vengeful doesn't even start to describe how I'm feeling at the moment."


	3. Chapter 3

Jace regained consciousness with a gasp and he sat up abruptly, taking huge gulps of air. 

"Easy, son, just breath," he heard his dad trying to calm him down.

His… He had a _dad_ , and not only an adoptive one, but a true father! It was incredible. And yet, another part of him was confused, he had never been a full orphan, while he had lost his mother to a mental sickness, he - Stiles - always had his dad by his side.

"What happened?" he croaked, his throat suddenly parched.

"You just fell to your knees and then lost your consciousness for a couple of minutes… How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?" his dad asked with a worried frown.

Was he? The only thing he remembered was a sudden, blunt pain in his right side… But how was that possible, since just moments before he had been watching his brother in everything but blood getting trapped in a loveless, political marriage? Why was he in a forest all of a sudden?

Was this the moment when he lost his grip on reality? After his mom had died, the doctors warned his dad that mental illnesses could be hereditary and that he - Stiles - could be genetically predisposed to have similar issues in the future. Was this what was happening, him finally losing his mind?

"I'm alright," he said, not wanting to worry his father needlessly. "It was just a dizzy spell, but I'm fine now."

"Are you sure?" Noah asked dubiously. 

"Yeah, you know me, getting too excited about stuff, not getting enough sleep… And tomorrow school starts again, it must've been the stress of it."

His dad didn't look convinced but grabbed his hand to haul him up. 

Now Jace only needed to somehow get over the fact that he was two people at once without anyone noticing that something was amiss, and he'll be just fine.

Right?

***

Once Alec's wound and scrapes had been taken care of, he thanked the Argents purposefully. They seemed unused to a werewolf being grateful to them… or at least someone who most probably than not would become a werewolf soon. 

"What will happen during the full moon? If the bite takes, will I become a danger to others?" Alec asked, putting his clothes back on.

"The newly turned werewolves usually aren't able to control themselves during the first full moons, so yes, there's a high chance that you'll attack someone," Victoria replied matter of factly.

"That's- unacceptable," Alec frowned. "What should I do to avoid that? I assume that normal ropes wouldn't be enough, so… Do you have a set of chains that I could borrow, by any chance?"

The Argents shared _a look_ , and he wondered if he had crossed some boundaries that he wasn't aware of, which existed between the Downworlders and the hunters in this area. He knew that werewolves and the hunters usually don't mix, but surely he wasn't asking for anything unusual in their line of work?

"I know that I imposed on you too much already, but I'm not sure that I have anything in my house that's even remotely werewolf proof," he explained awkwardly.

"Scott, are you serious about this? Do you really want to chain yourself?" Chris asked.

"It's either that or find a basement with a really solid padlock. Preferably both, as I don't want to take any chances," he said grimly.

Victoria pressed her lips into a thin line before saying: "We have the means to immobilize you but... Would you really put yourself into the hands of the hunters?"

"Well, who would be better suited for restraining a werewolf than someone who does this for a living?" he asked, confused.

Victoria snorted, and he had the strange feeling that her being amused was not an unusual occurrence. "You're the weirdest werewolf in the making that I've met in my entire career," she said, shaking her head. "Very well, Chris will meet you on Friday after school."

"Sounds like a plan! Thanks, Mrs and Mr Argent," he smiled at them gratefully. "I really appreciate your help."

They were good people, he could tell that, maybe a bit harsh and strict, but nothing that he wasn't already used to after his Shadowhunter training. In fact, their sternness reminded him of his own family, and might have been the reason why he felt so at ease in their presence.

"Come on kid, I'll drive you home," Chris offered and led him downstairs where Allison was watching the TV.

"You're leaving already?" she asked, disappointed. 

"Yeah, tomorrow's the first day back at school, so I better not stay up too late," he explained.

"Which grade?" she asked curiously.

"Sophomore, what about you?"

"Me too! Maybe we'll see each other at school," she said with a smile.

"That would be brilliant," he said honestly. "Bye, Allison."

When they left the house, Chris gripped his arm.

"Scott, a warning," the man said. "Allison is not aware of the supernatural world, so don't mention anything to her, is that understood?"

Supernatural, not Downworlders? He really needed to start getting used to the new nomenclature.

"Of course, Mr Argent," he agreed easily. 

It seemed weird to him that the Argents didn’t start teaching their daughter yet, he was used to the training starting from a much younger age, but he wasn't going to criticize their choices without knowing all the facts.

When Chris started the car, Alec asked: "Would you mind telling me more about the hunters?" seeing how the man hesitated, he hurriedly added: "Nothing secret or anything like that. Or, if you can't speak about that, maybe you could tell me more about the werewolves, instead? So that I'd know what to expect."

He needed to know all the differences between the world that he knew and this weird reality he had been thrown into. 

"Most families of hunters are matriarchal which means that our women are in charge, so I would need to check with Victoria first how much I’m allowed to tell you," Chris said finally.

"Okay, sounds fair," Alec nodded. He was used to women being in positions of power, his mother being one example, not to mention Imogen Herondale acting as Inquisitor of the Clave which as far as the Shadowhunters' hierarchy went, was very near the top.

***

On Monday morning the first thing that he did when meeting with Stiles was cuffing him on the head. 

"Ow, what was that for?" Stiles whined.

"Let's go on an adventure, it'll be fun, you said! Well guess what, I was bitten by a feral wolf instead," he said. "Your ideas suck."

"Really? Let's see this thing, then," Stiles perked up. "I doubt it was a wolf, though. There haven’t been any wolves in California in sixty years-" he trailed off and he blanched, staring at Alec's side. Not the one with the bite, though. He was looking at the Parabatai rune as if he saw a ghost.

"... Alec?" he asked in a small voice, and with trembling hands he pulled up his own t-shirt, showing a matching rune on his own torso.

"Jace?!" Alec choked, and gathered his friend, his brother, into a desperate hug. He couldn't believe his luck, the very person which he would miss the most in the whole world, was here, with him.

"By the Angels, I thought that I was losing my mind," Jace-Stiles mumbled into his chest.

"If you're crazy then we're crazy together," Alec said, patting him on the shoulder before taking a step back. "This weird reality seems less daunting by the minute, if I've got you by my side."

"Wait, what reality?" Jace asked, confused.

"I've met this world's version of the hunters, and they seem radically different from the Shadowhunters. Also, there are werewolves here, but not vampires, so I have this feeling that we not only landed in California, but in an alternate version of our world," Alec explained with a grimace.

"Well, there's one way to know that for sure," Jace said with a shrug, "we can always visit the nearest Institute. So what do you think about a weekend trip to Los Angeles?"

"About that… The animal that bit me, it was a werewolf. And the full moon is on Friday, so if we want to visit the LA Institute, we need to do this earlier, before the change. I don't want to take any chances with the Blackthorns, who know how they would react to the Nephilim turned into a Downworlder," Alec said with a frown.

"You were bitten by a werewolf?” Jace-Stiles asked, shocked. “God, I'm so sorry, if it wasn't for my idea to take a stroll through the woods…"

"Stiles, it's alright," he squeezed his friend's arm. "You couldn't have known it would happen. Don't beat yourself up about this."

"Whatever happens next, we'll face it together," Jace promised with a determined look on his face.

"As always," Alec confirmed with a smile. "Come on, let's go to classes. And remember, we need to act as inconspicuous as possible."

"Sure, boss," Jace said with a smirk, flinging a backpack over his shoulder and walking to the school in a confident swagger.

Alec smiled widely, this was his brother through and through. There was no chance in hell that Jace would ever act inconspicuously, even if his life depended on it. He wasn't sure if Beacon Hills was ready for this self-assured, bold version of Stiles, though.


	4. Chapter 4

School was both a normal and bizarre experience at the same time. Scott was used to it… but Alec was not, and he had this weird feeling of divergence within his own mind. Judging by the looks Jace gave him, he had exactly the same problem. Somehow, Alec had the feeling that having two minds and personalities in one body was not going to be a walk in the park and would need some time to get used to.

Suddenly, his senses went into overload as his hearing was bombarded with noise, everything was so awfully loud he winced. He forced himself to take a few calming breaths, trying to overcome the feeling. He looked through the window, trying to locate the source of the obnoxiously loud ringing (at least, it seemed like this to his ears, but no one else seemed to be affected) when he saw Allison sitting on the bench outside, talking with her mother over the phone that she forgot a pen.

When the vice principal led Allison into their class and introduced her, Alec waved at her, beckoning her to the empty seat. Seeing him, the girl visibly brightened and sat down behind him with a quiet "hi". As she fumbled with her things, obviously trying to locate the missing pen, he gave her his with a knowing smile and she looked a little bemused but mostly thankful.

Between classes, Jace took him to the side and asked suspiciously: "Since when are you so chummy with new girls?"

Alec rolled his eyes at him. "I've met Allison before, she's the hunters' daughter, but she doesn't know anything about the Shadow World, so pretend to be a normal teenager around her."

"Harmless, nerdy Stiles it is, gotcha," the teen winked at him.

They observed as the girl was approached by the most popular pair in the school, Lydia and Jackson, and Alec frowned as he overheard their conversation. While he was happy that Allison made friends so quickly, he knew exactly what the two of them thought about him and Stiles, and he would be damned if he let them turn Allison against him.

Gathering his resolve, he walked up to the group, Jace one step behind him.

"Hi there," he greeted with a calm, confident smile. "Are you all going to the try outs?"

"Piss off, McCall, this is a private conversation," Jackson said angrily.

Allison looked at the boy, surprised by his rudeness. "Actually, Scott is my friend," she said. "Is this going to be a problem?"

"Why would you hang out with such a loser?" Jackson sneered. "He and his sidekick, they're nobodies."

"This sidekick has a name and it's Stiles," Jace said. "Though for you, it's Stilinski."

"Boys, leave the posturing for the try outs," Lydia interjected, seeing how their rivalry upset the new girl.

"Good idea. Allison, will you cheer for me? I want to make the first line so a little support could make all the difference," Alec asked with a smile.

Allison ignored Jackson's scoff and agreed eagerly.

***

"So, how do you know him?" Lydia asked curiously as they took a seat on the stands.

"Who, Scott?" Allison asked and seeing the other girl's nod, she explained sheepishly: "He almost got hit by my mom's car. That's how he met my parents and somehow managed to get into their good graces. Which is nearly impossible, believe me."

"Wow, that's quite a story."

"Yeah, I know," Allison agreed with a nod. "So, about that party on Friday, am I still invited?"

Lydia looked confused and asked: "Of course, why wouldn't you be?"

"You and Jackson seem to be focused on who's popular, and I'm not," Allison said bluntly. "And I'm not going to stop being friends with Scott just because Jackson doesn't like him."

"Jackson will come around, don't worry about him," Lydia assured her. "As for popularity… I'm the trend setter here, and I can see that you've got potential."

Allison blushed and focused on the try outs instead, just in time to see Scott catching a series of balls thrown in his direction.

"Wow, he's good," she said, impressed, as the people cheered around them.

" _Very_ good," Lydia agreed, standing up as well in all the excitement. 

Needless to say, after putting on such a show, Scott made the first line without any problems.

***

Jace and Alec hoped that they could go to Los Angeles on Tuesday, but Alec remembered that he had a shift at the animal clinic that afternoon. 

"Wanna come with me?" he offered, even though he knew that Stiles had never been all that interested in his job.

"Actually, yes," Jace nodded. "Better not to split up, unless it can't be helped. Who knows what else this world has in store for us…"

"Don't jinx it," Alec warned. "And for the record, if anything happens, I'm blaming you."

"Why me?" Jace whined with an exaggeratedly hurt expression. 

"You know what both parts of you, Jace and Stiles, have in common? You're mischief-makers, and your crazy ideas somehow always end with me getting into trouble," Alec said, exasperated.

"Hey, getting married to the Branwell girl was _your_ idea," Jace reminded him as they went into his jeep.

"True, not my brightest moment," Alec admitted. "But it seemed so rational, so logical at the time..."

Jace put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't beat yourself about it. Apparently, it wasn't meant to be, since instead of you getting married we've somehow ended up… here, three years in the future in what seems to be an alternate reality. Could've been worse, right?"

Alec nodded. Jace was right, they were alive, relatively unharmed and they had each other. Still, he missed the rest of his family, especially Izzy. He hoped that when- and wherever she was, she was alright.

He wondered what had happened to their original bodies. Did he and Jace suddenly lose consciousness, or fall into a coma? Or were they frozen in time, and once this weird mind-sharing experience was over, would they just get back to the same moment in their previous lives?

He preferred not to think about the eventuality that their bodies were already dead and buried, and this new life was the only one that they would and could ever have. Because if that was the case, it meant that they would never again see their family, their parents and siblings… It was a horrible thought and he forced himself not to dwell on it any longer. 

***

"Hi boss, would you mind if Stiles helped me today?" Alec asked as they entered the animal clinic.

Dr Deaton was quite surprised to see the two of them, but he agreed easily. "That's fine, as long as the job is being done, I don't see why would I mind if your friend helped you."

"Brilliant, thanks!" Alec said with a smile. "Come on Stiles, you'll feed the cats."

"Why cats? You know that I hate the little monsters," Jace pouted.

"That's exactly why. Consider it a chance to win them over," he suggested with a wry smile.

"You're evil, oh brother of mine," Jace sighed heavily but Alec only laughed and showed him where the cat food was stored.

Once Deaton left and they were finally alone, Alec went to the bathroom to check on his wound. However, once he got the plaster off, there was not a sign of the bite and his skin looked completely healed.

"Jace, get your ass over here," he called.

Without the help of his runes, he shouldn't have healed so quickly. But since he had, that could only mean-

"Whoa," Jace breathed in disbelief as he saw his healed torso. "Does it mean-"

"First enhanced senses, and now this… I think I'm turning into a werewolf," confirmed Alec, feeling overwhelmed.

"Hey, don't worry, we'll get through this together, alright?" Jace said and hugged him tightly. 

Alec closed his eyes and let himself be comforted by his brother and best friend. It didn't matter if they were Scott and Stiles or Alec and Jace, he was grateful to all higher powers that he didn't have to go through this change alone.

What happens, happens, he thought to himself. But no matter what, he was still a Shadowhunter at heart, and he intended to act as if he was still one, and that meant focusing on his duties rather than lose time and energy on what ifs.


End file.
